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World premiere release of dynamic thriller soundtrack by Elmer Bernstein for Richard Fleischer film about blind woman terrorized by sadistic killer, written by Brian Clemens, starring Mia Farrow. Outdoor farm setting, English countryside set stage for relentless pursuit of defenseless woman while one-by-one, loved ones around her are brutally slain. Bernstein fashions music only where it is needed, totaling just under a half hour in fact. But his approach is powerful, exciting, hard-hitting from the get-go. Opening three-note motif, spanning a mere minor third, launches one of Bernstein's most aggressive "Main Titles" ever. Motif becomes longer idea as propulsive action material takes over. In stunning move, Bernstein takes idea into exciting major key territory for very next cue as sonorous main theme for Mia comes into play. Melody is sweeping, lively, takes command during horse-riding sequences. But spotlight also goes to incredibly sensitive, sadness-tinged minor key treatment of same melody during "Mia's Theme", "Ambulance (End Titles)". Here, piano leads with strings in tow. Cool extra treat: most exposed version of theme in film ("Mia's Theme") is dialed out quickly in picture but here plays complete as recorded for the first time ever! Other notable ideas include composer's trademark lean, transparent suspense writing. Intrada presents complete score, including three brief source cues written by Bernstein, all in dynamic stereo from newly-discovered original two-track session masters mixed by Richard Lewzey at CTS Studios in London, courtesy Columbia Pictures. One of Elmer Bernstein's finest previously-unreleased works is now finally available! Elmer Bernstein conducts. Intrada Special Collection CD available while quantities and interest remain!

Pleased as they were with Elmer Bernstein’s
work, the filmmakers nevertheless made some
changes to the composer’s music in postproduction.
A few cues were shifted around and/
or foreshortened, but the final score remains
vivid, powerful, intense, richly melodic and
incredibly exciting—all in one very compact
half-hour.

Bernstein’s significant and darkly passionate
main theme for Sarah was moved to
an earlier sequence and dialed out less than
halfway through; it plays here on this CD in
its entirety for the first time (“Mia’s Theme”).
An additional change in postproduction happened
with the “Escape” sequence: scoring
paperwork and slates suggest the cue was
intended for the climactic/triumphant rescue
of Sarah but became instead an earlier action
cue as she bolts from the horse stable with the
killer in pursuit. The filmmakers also changed
their initial plans to leave much of the later
reels unscored until the rescue and portions of
earlier suspense cues were dropped into these
later scenes of Sarah alone.

One very striking musical device that
Bernstein incorporates into the aforementioned
suspense music is the use of short motifs
followed by long pauses, then more short
musical phrases, followed by still more pauses.
Typically when a cue has built-in pauses it is
to accommodate lines of dialogue or sound effects
within the duration of the music in question.
But in the case of See No Evil, there were
almost no lines of dialogue or imposing sound
effects to deal with. Bernstein instead infused the music with a considerable degree of tension
by stating a phrase, then forcing silence
into the music to heighten the suspense, then
repeating the process. The results are musically
intense.

For this premiere release of Elmer
Bernstein’s complete soundtrack, Intrada
fortunately was able to locate the two-track
stereo session masters, recorded and mixed by
Richard Lewzey at Cine-Tele Sound Studios
(CTS) in London in July 1971. For decades these tapes appeared to have been lost but, in
fact, they survived in full stereo and in beautiful
condition, with every cue present—including
Bernstein’s three brief original source
music cues. For our presentation we have
mostly retained the picture sequence, thereby
placing “Mia’s Theme” in the same place it occurs
in the film (although in complete form)
and the “Escape” cue in the earlier position
it occupies in the film as well. However, we have not chopped up “Alone/Mud/Panic” to
recreate the suspense scenes it accommodated
editorially and instead have allowed it (and the
all-important pauses) to play as a single cue, in
reel 9, the way Bernstein intended.

Listen now to what is arguably one of
the finest scores from Elmer Bernstein’s long
and varied career. Surely the thrilling excitement
of the “Main Titles” and the painful
sweep of “Mia’s Theme” alone rank as two of
his finest pieces. Better yet, turn out the lights
and listen to the soundtrack from See No
Evil—in the dark!